Quick Review: 2011 Nissan Quest LE

It has been said—quite accurately, I believe—that the best defense is a good offense. This summarizes very well the design, execution and marketing of Nissan's latest Quest minivan. No sportive posing, no multi-purpose anything, the Quest is blatantly "designed to take on the toughest and most rewarding job on the planet—parenting."

Not that there isn't some whimsy worked in here as well (as there should be in any parenting). Mounted immediately above the interior rearview mirror, where otherwise would reside a sunglasses holder, our Quest LE has a fold-down wide-angle mirror specially useful for checking out what those kids are doing in the second and third rows. It's called the Conversation Mirror, but I read past this:

"Johnny, stop poking your brother!"

"How did she know?"

Nor is the Quest merely about gimmicks. Built on Nissan's D-platform (shared with Sentra, Maxima and Murano), the Quest has an extended wheelbase of 118.1 in. and a 200.8-in. overall length. In fact, it's about the size of Honda's Odyssey or Toyota's Sienna. Likewise, its 3.5-liter dohc V-6's 253 bhp stacks up well against competitors' propulsion units. A standard Continuously Variable Transmission sets this Nissan apart from the others. And, indeed, one staff member thought this CVT "motorboated" a bit, though I personally found it exemplary—and essentially transparent.

The Quest's exterior shape is a bit more boxy, less "styled" than the others—and certainly less so than its Sci-Fi predecessor. I applaud one consequence of this, namely the Quest's superb accessibility, especially to the paying folks up front. I realize I tend to rattle on about ingress/egress, but as an older guy with questionable back and long torso, I confess there are perfectly nice cars into which I no longer wish to twist, turn and contort. I suspect I am not alone in this regard, and thus celebrate the Quest's easy access. (The critical dimension is seat cushion to door top.)

The rest of the Quest's interior packaging is well done too. Second- and third-row seats fold completely flat—completely easily. There's excellent storage aft, unlike some competitors, even with the third row in use, including a covered volume of considerable depth. Third row folded, the Quest proved an admirable means of bringing home our family Christmas present, a flat-screen TV (replacing a CRT relic brought home in our Morgan 4-Passenger Family Tourer).

Other positive attributes of this new Quest include an elaborate climate control system incorporating features that Nissan fancifully calls a Grape Polyphenol Filter and Plasmacluster air purifier. Poetry aside, these two are designed to reduce allergens and undesirable odors within the Quest cabin, whether generated from within or outside. Just the thing for transporting the family through hay fever territory (which, by the way, I've learned has nothing to do with hay or fever).

Our top-of-the-line Quest LE also has a DVD Entertainment System with remote control and a pair of wireless headphones. (I used to think such a gizmo was overkill, but, really now, how many games of "I Spy Something Gold" can you tolerate?)

There are four Quest models, the S starting at $27,750, SV, L and LE. Our LE's initial $41,350 came to $43,680 once dual moonroof ($1350), delivery and other minor necessities were added. These days, this range is comparable to those of minivan competitors. And college costs have gone up as well, though parenting never was for sissies.